Homeless Hot Spots

[CreamyGoodness]

I hope this isnt too controversial, but I need a little consensus here.

I consider myself an ethical person, but I also realize that I have never been homeless, and as broke as I have been I have always eaten three times a day.

So today I pick up the newspaper, and on the front page I learn that at the South by Southwest festival, homeless people have been hired to carry a portable router and be human "hot spots." One man had a tshirt that read "Hello, my name is Clarence, I am a 4G hot spot." There is no set pay structure, but the company involved suggests $2 per 15 minutes of wireless access. Clarence and his colleagues keep what they earn.

This was decried as dehumanizing and cruel by some people in attendance, and a bruhaha has been raised on Twitter in its regards.

Am I just an out of touch middle-class jerk? It seems to me that while this might be kind of a crappy job, its just that, a job. These people, of whom I might add are being refered to by their names, are receiving pay (tips) in return for a service. Also, while many homeless people are avoided, these people are being actively sought out, which I would think would be the opposite of dehumanizing. I would think this would be less dehumanizing than say, wearing a sandwich board and handing out fliers.

To abuse or exploit a homeless person is in the top percentile of evil and low. Anyone who would "kick a man while he is down" had best hope there is no afterlife. However, to hire such a person just seems like being an employer...

Am I wrong on this one?

 

[Airplanedoc]

I don't see how it is any worse than this.

Probably pays better to

 

[TyTanium]

Let the homeless decide. Do they feel dehumanized and, thus, would prefer to not participate? Or do they say, "Sure, I'll make a few bucks." Who am I to infer how they feel.

 

[Joker]

Let the homeless decide. Do they feel dehumanized and, thus, would prefer to not participate? Or do they say, "Sure, I'll make a few bucks." Who am I to infer how they feel.

Are you for real?! Seriously this is America and currently we are all about telling everyone how they should feel, get with it.


















And for the record I completely agree with you. Why not let them earn some money for awhile rather than the .gov just handing it to them.

 

[aygov]

It's not like they are kidnapping these homeless people and forcing them into a life of servitude as a 4G hotspot.

If they don't see this as beneath them then it's fine by me. There are too many entitled people out there who feel they are owed a certain level of employment. Unfortunately if you're homeless on the street you take what you can get...

 

[flanneltrees804]

I understand why some would protest this idea but put college kids in place of the homeless people... I feel like when I was poor in college I would have loved this job! When I picture college kids doing it voluntarily it seems fine, should be the same with homeless people.

 

[Airplanedoc]

I understand why some would protest this idea but put college kids in place of the homeless people... I feel like when I was poor in college I would have loved this job! When I picture college kids doing it voluntarily it seems fine, should be the same with homeless people.

Its "poor College Kids" that attend the south by southwest festival. No way they would pay people who are willing to buy tickets.

 

[weirdboy]

I would totally do this job as a college student. Think of all the attractive females you'd get to meet. That would almost be as good as my job working the door in a club. I would also totally do it as a homeless person.

Not sure why this is dehumanizing other than the t-shirt that says "I am a 4-G Hotspot" which I guess maybe makes them sound like a robot?

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Maybe Im just bummed that someone out-liberalled me... lol... but really the part that made me decide to ask you all is really the fact that people who are usually marginalized, while doing this job, are being called by their name (the very basis of being human), and I would think at least a percentage of people who use the service also say please and thank you. I would think that is more "human" contact than some of these folks usually get. Also, they dont have to do anything embarrassing, humiliating, or soul crushing... I just dont see what the fuss is all about.

 

[cheezydemon3]

..................mentally stable people don't become homeless.

It sounds like a sub-conciously organized freak show.

Who is going to thank the dirty guy who smells like piss for being a hot spot? Think no one is going to point or laugh?

Most of the freaks organizing this probably can't look up from their iphones long enough to say thank you.

Why not station hot spots strategically to cover the whole area?

Sounds like publicity.

 

[funkapottomous]

Anyone who's ever been to Austin knows how bad the homeless situation is there. It's a great place to be if you're homeless; you just go to sixth street every night and hopefully some drunks will buy you dinner or something.

I could be all liberal but the fact of the matter is that they are homeless and most of the time jobless and are probably thankful for the opportunity to essentially do nothing and get paid for it.. There's a guy on fifth street that rolls cigarettes and sells them for a buck a pop, that's probably more work than walking around while holding a router.

either way, $2 every fifteen minutes is $8 an hour which is more than minimum wage here in Texas, so as long as they get the money they're promised, who gives a crap?

 

[TheMan]

It's a job. Someone should be thanking these people for even trying to help out a homeless person. Most people, myself included, usually just ignore the homeless. Giving them a job for the weekend so that they can buy themselves some food or clothing sounds perfectly fair. The homeless that participated probably had a great time. I'd rather be up and mingling than sitting on the sidewalk begging.

I think we can all come up with 10+ jobs that are more "dehumanizing" than this.

 

[NewBrew2]

..................mentally stable people don't become homeless.

Not sure I agree with this!!!!

People can become homless for a number of factors outside of thier control.

 

[509inc]

I used to be homeless. Lived at a local park... by choice or rather circumstance.

Work is Work and Money is Money. That person has the right to choose if they want to be a human hot spot or not. Back then if I was offered the chance I would have took it. IMO the people upset over this should mind their own business.

 

[jmendez29]

Sounds like the typical media. Making something out of nothing. Presumably there were no big fights that broke out, and there wasn't some kind of drunk guy that smashed his car into a few street poles. Reporting on the record attendance this year has got to be pretty yawn inducing, so what's left? Let's talk about the homeless and what they are being forced to do to earn a meager living that will barely buy them a worthy meal every other day. I mean, seriously, it's nearly akin to 9 year olds working in a sweatshop, or 13 year olds working in some diamond mine somewhere.

I hate the media.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Haven't seen any news stories, and I am not upset.

I have however seen many homeless people.

They would be ridiculed at best.

 

[dfc]

..................mentally stable people don't become homeless.

It sounds like a sub-conciously organized freak show.

Who is going to thank the dirty guy who smells like piss for being a hot spot? Think no one is going to point or laugh?

Most of the freaks organizing this probably can't look up from their iphones long enough to say thank you.

Why not station hot spots strategically to cover the whole area?

Sounds like publicity.

You can't be serious with this. Have you never had any experience with homeless people? Yes, a good number of homeless people are mentally unstable, but especially in these tough economic times there are people who are just down on their luck that lose their homes and have to live on the street. I've talked to several homeless people who were extremely stable mentally. Maybe a bit broken emotionally, but definitely of sound mind.

 

[Grumpybumpy]

I bet leslie would have done it. RIP Leslie

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Leslie? Local homeless person?

I bet leslie would have done it. RIP Leslie

 

[Grumpybumpy]

Leslie? Local homeless person?

Yep he/she was a famous homeless (though sometimes I doubted that) transvestite (did not doubt that). Nice lady/man and had a couple pretty hilarious conversations with him/her back when I was in college. She passed a few weeks ago

Edit: oh and she ran for mayor once

 

[BeardtreeBrewing]

It definitely wasn't a great idea for the company to do this from a PR standpoint (clearly someone thought it was). But I would personally rather walk around with a hot spot then dig through trash for dirty cans.

 

[wildwest450]

4G that smells like pee.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

So sad, we lost a homeless man here in Astoria last year to the winter. Poor buzzard froze to death.

Yep he/she was a famous homeless (though sometimes I doubted that) transvestite (did not doubt that). Nice lady/man and had a couple pretty hilarious conversations with him/her back when I was in college. She passed a few weeks ago

 

[Hammy71]

Well I'm on business in NYC. Saw the article and thought it wasn't that big of a deal. According to the article the "hotspot" is within 20 feet of the person. Well, after walking past the one guy sitting on a bench in central park last night; 20 feet ain't enough. His stink cloud was well beyond that. Just sayin.....

 

[funkapottomous]

Yep he/she was a famous homeless (though sometimes I doubted that) transvestite (did not doubt that). Nice lady/man and had a couple pretty hilarious conversations with him/her back when I was in college. She passed a few weeks ago

Edit: oh and she ran for mayor once

And got second place.

 

[TxBrew]

Yep he/she was a famous homeless (though sometimes I doubted that) transvestite (did not doubt that). Nice lady/man and had a couple pretty hilarious conversations with him/her back when I was in college. She passed a few weeks ago

Edit: oh and she ran for mayor once

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Cochran

I did too. Interesting guy. Usually yelling about the police.

 

[cheezydemon3]

i don't think i over reacted to this thread, but I guess I have come around. If it motivates homeless to get creative in job searches, or to communicate with people who are not homeless, then what is the harm.